Phil Brown: It's about results, not performances at this stage of the season

Boss expecting another stern test when Newport County come to Roots Hall on Tuesday evening.

Southend United manager Phil Brown wants his side to kick on until the end of the season, as his side bid to make it four consecutive wins and a fourth consecutive clean sheet against Newport County at Roots Hall on Tuesday evening.

Southend continued their fine form against Tranmere Rovers on Saturday, recording a 1-0 victory, and face another tough encounter on Tuesday when Newport visit Essex.

'There's more pressure on positions now. I said Gary Deegan did enough to keep his shirt, and Ryan Leonard has to try and get back in the team now,” Brown said on the strength of his squad.

“The mentality of the group is first class and it's at the stage of the season where you look at performances and the head states. We have the right mentality and with 23 or 24 players to choose from, there's real pressure on the players.

“It's first class what Gary, Cian Bolger and Adam Barrett have all done. The pressure seems to galvanise the players and we have to make sure we don't leave the game at the training ground.”

And Brown's expecting another difficult clash against Newport on Tuesday, with the Blues looking for revenge against the Welsh side after a 1-0 reverse in south Wales earlier in the campaign.

“We can only win the next game,” he said.

“They play three centre backs, five in midfield and have pace up front. They have one or two individuals that can win a game. They are resilient and that's one thing we have to battle against.

“We have four clean sheets on the bounce and at the right time in the season. It's about results now, not pretty football.”

And Brown also paid tribute to his goalkeeper, as Dan Bentley aims to break a long-standing record of earning 11 consecutive league clean sheet at Roots Hall, beating Mervyn Cawston's ten.

“Dan's got the plaudits and deservedly so. He's gone almost 1,000 minutes without conceding a goal in the league at Roots Hall, which is phenomenal.”

Watch a full interview with Phil Brown on Blues Player by clicking here.